Midweek Cricket LEAGUE

HAVERHILL & DISTRICT MIDWEEK CRICKET LEAGUE

The League was set up in 1970 for factory and club teams in the Haverhill area. It was called the Haverhill Midweek Cricket League. The format would be twenty, six ball overs per innings, as it is still today.

A shield was donated by The Haverhill Echo Newspaper for the winners of the League, surrounding village clubs started to enter in 1971 at the time it was still one division, 3 points for a win 1 point a tie. The Echo shield is still presented to this day to the League Champions.

A second division was formed in 1978 and due to a rapid increase in popularity a third in 1979 this stayed until 2006 when the third division was split into two regions due to the large numbers of colt cricketers playing and an increase in teams.

1978 also saw the first knockout cup competition the R.A. Cup donated by local firm Refrigerated Appliances and this was the main cup competition until replaced by the A.H. Cup in 2003 donated by current sponsors Adams Harrison, the old R.A. Cup is still played for but under the title of the League Cup. Two other cups have been donated to the league and have been awarded for various things they are currently awarded to the man of the match in the cup competitions finals.

In 1995 one of the founders of the league, chairman Jim Healey, stood down after 25 years service. Graham Salmonese was treasurer from 1985 to 2003 and current secretary Colin Godsmark has held the post since 1983.

In 1986 the league secured its first sponsorship deal with Provincial Insurance thanks to the President Peter Smith and in 1988 changed its name to incorporate the sponsors name. After merging the league became the AXA Midweek Cricket League through our former President Alan Bishop. Our current sponsors have been with us since 2003. The league members are now largely situated between Haverhill and Cambridge.